OLogy Cards > Quetzalcoatlus northropi

Quetzalcoatlus northropi

Imagine a flying reptile the size of a two-seater plane! That's Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying animals ever. In 1971, a geology student discovered it in Texas. But the only remains found were parts of one wing. Paleontologists pieced together the wing one chunk at a time, starting with a massive arm bone. They think Quetzalcoatlus had extremely long legs, neck, and jaws. On the ground, it may have stood about 16 feet (5 m) tall!

Stats

Pronunciation: ket-zel-KWAT-a-lus NORTH-rup-eye
Lived: around 67 million years ago
Fossil Found: Big Bend National Park, in southwestern Texas
Wingspan: around 33 feet (10 meters)
Diet: possibly small vertebrates or carrion
Cool Fact: It was named after Quetzalcoatl, a Mexican god of the air, and Jack Northrop, who developed a stealth aircraft called the flying wing.

Stumper

The wandering albatross is the largest flying animal alive today. Its wings are about 10 feet (3 m) across. The wings of Quetzalcoatlus are:

about the same wingspan as the albatross

twice the wingspan of the albatross

three times the wingspan of the albatross

Correct!

With its long, thin wings, Quetzalcoatlus could soar over vast distances like today's albatross. But when Quetzalcoatlus was standing on the ground, its tall, thin body may have looked more like a giraffe's!

Stumper

Pterosaurs lived on every continent, but the reason their fossils are very rare is because of:

their thin, lightweight bones

their environment

both

Correct!

Like the bones of other flying animals, pterosaur bones were thin and fragile. Some pterosaurs lived around lagoons or lakes, places where fossils form. But many more lived in other kinds of environments and were never preserved.

Fact or Fiction

Quetzalcoatlus was the heaviest of all the pterosaurs.

Fact

Fiction

In 2013, a neck bone fossil of a new species was discovered in Romania. Its wingspan was as large as Quetzalcoatlus, but this pterosaur was much more bulky and massive.

Fact or Fiction

All pterosaurs that lived at the time of Quetzalcoatlus were very large.

Fact

Fiction

Pterosaurs of different sizes evolved during the Mesozoic Era. Some were as small as a sparrow, with 10-inch (25-cm) wingspans.

Fact or Fiction

Most bad breath is caused by bacteria living on your tongue.

Fact

Fiction

Fact

You could have 100 to 200 species living in your mouth right now. Most won't harm you, and some protect you. Brushing your teeth and tongue kill the bacteria that cause tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.

Quote

“

I think pterosaurs are really interesting because there's nothing like them alive today. Pterosaurs were the largest animals that ever flew. They were also the first vertebrates to acquire powered flight.

„

Mark Norell, paleontologist

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OLogy Cards > Quetzalcoatlus northropi

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